Stop us if you’ve heard this before over the last 20 years, but the New York Knicks finished last in the Atlantic Division this season.
With the Celtics and 76ers rattling off 51 wins apiece, the Raptors’ young core arriving a year ahead of schedule and the Nets sleep-walking their way into the No. 7 seed, the Knicks were once again the division’s bottom-feeders.
With significant cap room and ample draft capital, the Knicks will aim to tighten the gap with their Atlantic Division rivals this offseason. Will that come in the form of a blockbuster trade or free-agent signings? Nobody knows, but Leon Rose and the front office will seemingly have no shortage of avenues to do so.
This roster could use some fresh faces, and swiping some talent from within the division would qualify as a win-win scenario. While the Knicks’ short-term outlook might be the bleakest of the five teams, the idea of playing in the Garden for an up-and-coming team could be the perfect recruiting pitch.
With that in mind, here are three Atlantic Division free agents New York should consider pursuing this offseason.
3 Atlantic Division free agents the New York Knicks can sign
3. Shake Milton
As of this writing, Shake Milton doesn’t qualify as a need, but the Knicks figure to be busy reshuffling their roster this offseason. Could that include flipping Alec Burks for a draft pick or young asset? You bet.
Milton could step in and fill the Burks role or assume a deeper spot on the bench alongside Cam Reddish and Jericho Sims.
Over the last three years (when he became a regular part of the Sixers’ rotation), Milton has averaged 10.4 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 45.4% from the floor, 37% on threes and 82% on free throws in 21.5 minutes.
As someone who can play both backcourt positions, the Knicks can do a lot worse than Milton in terms of filling out Tom Thibodeau’s bench and it never hurts to add an extra ball-handler, especially considering Derrick Rose played just 26 games this campaign and will turn 34 in October.
Milton has an affordable $1.99 million club option next season, but Philadelphia could let him walk following the ascension of Tyrese Maxey and assuming they bring back James Harden on his $47.78 million option.
in the form of a blockbuster trade</a> or free-agent signings? Nobody knows, but Leon Rose and the front office will seemingly have no shortage of avenues to do so.</p>
<p>This roster could use some fresh faces, and swiping some talent from within the division would qualify as a win-win scenario. While the Knicks’ short-term outlook might be the bleakest of the five teams, the idea of playing in the Garden for an up-and-coming team could be the perfect recruiting pitch.</p>
<p>With that in mind, here are three Atlantic Division free agents New York should consider pursuing this offseason.</p>
<h2>3 Atlantic Division free agents the New York Knicks can sign</h2>
<h3>3. Shake Milton</h3>
<p>As of this writing, Shake Milton doesn’t qualify as a need, but the Knicks figure to be busy reshuffling their roster this offseason. Could that include flipping Alec Burks for a draft pick or young asset? You bet.</p>
<p>Milton could step in and fill the Burks role or assume a deeper spot on the bench alongside Cam Reddish and Jericho Sims.</p>
<p>Over the last three years (when he became a regular part of the Sixers’ rotation), Milton has averaged 10.4 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 45.4% from the floor, 37% on threes and 82% on free throws in 21.5 minutes.</p>
<p>As someone who can play both backcourt positions, the Knicks can do a lot worse than Milton in terms of filling out Tom Thibodeau’s bench and it never hurts to add an extra ball-handler, especially considering Derrick Rose played just 26 games this campaign and will turn 34 in October.</p>
<p>Milton has an <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/05/19/3-atlantic-division-free-agents-knicks-consider-adding/"https://www.spotrac.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/shake-milton-27020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affordable $1.99 million club option</a> next season, but Philadelphia could let him walk following the ascension of Tyrese Maxey and assuming they bring back James Harden on his $47.78 million option.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/05/19/3-atlantic-division-free-agents-knicks-consider-adding/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Frontcourt Needs Reinforcements </a>
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<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-127669" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/05/19/3-atlantic-division-free-agents-knicks-consider-adding/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2022%2F05%2F1318476396.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Nic Claxton" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/05/1318476396.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/05/1318476396-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p>
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<h3>2. Nic Claxton</h3>
<p>The Nets humiliated themselves in the first round of the playoffs and a huge offseason looms for general manager Sean Marks, as Bruce Brown, Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, Nic Claxton, LaMarcus Aldridge and Goran Dragic are all free agents. Additionally, Kyrie Irving and Patty Mills have player options.</p>
<p>We’d like to see the Knicks pursue Brown, but assuming Brooklyn re-signs the versatile defender, Claxton would be quite the consolation prize.</p>
<p>Of course, the prevailing narrative surrounding the franchise is Mitchell Robinson’s future <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/05/19/3-atlantic-division-free-agents-knicks-consider-adding/"https://sports.yahoo.com/no-extension-mitchell-robinson-knicks-160914460.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as he enters free agency</a> for the first time in his career. It would be a terrible look for the front office if they let Robinson walk after they bypassed the chance to trade him for assets when they had the chance.</p>
<p>While Claxton isn’t the rim protector Robinson is, he has huge upside in that department and can even handle his own in pick and rolls against guards. The Georgia product has a slim frame for a center, but he has the athleticism and length to be a strong post defender if he adds some weight in the offseason.</p>
<p>Like Robinson, Claxton’s offensive game needs time to develop, but he has a deeper bag than the Knicks’ free agent and he just turned 23 in April. That upside will otherwise be tough to find in free agency and he’d cost less than Robinson, which would allow the front office to allocate its resources to other needs.</p>
<p>Who says no?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/05/19/3-atlantic-division-free-agents-knicks-consider-adding/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Perfect Tom Thibodeau Player </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-127666" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/05/19/3-atlantic-division-free-agents-knicks-consider-adding/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2022%2F05%2F1386954963.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Thaddeus Young" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/05/1386954963.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/05/1386954963-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Thaddeus Young, Toronto Raptors. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p>
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<h3>1. Thaddeus Young</h3>
<p>The Raptors surprised fans when they unloaded a first-round pick for Thaddeus Young at the trade deadline, but <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/05/19/3-atlantic-division-free-agents-knicks-consider-adding/"https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/thaddeus-young-setting-example-for-raptors-both-with-play-and-leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the jokes quickly turned to praise</a> given the impact the 33-year-old veteran had on Nick Nurse’s squad.</p>
<p>While Young is a candidate to re-sign with Toronto, the Knicks are financially equipped to make him an offer that’d be tough to turn down. After all, they’re projected to have the sixth-most cap space of any team.</p>
<p>Young just feels like a classic fit with Tom Thibodeau. He doesn’t offer much offensively, but he’s efficient and averaged more than 10 points per game in 13 consecutive seasons before 2021-2022 when he averaged less than 20 minutes for the first time in his career.</p>
<p>Even better? Young is an impactful interior defender. The Raptors surrendered 3.4 fewer points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor this season and the Knicks could really use another forward who can defend multiple positions.</p>
<p>The Knicks’ power forward rotation is a little clunky right now with Julius Randle, Obi Toppin and Taj Gibson all under contract, but that could change in a pinch if Randle got traded. Additionally, Gibson’s salary isn’t guaranteed, so the front office could easily justify dumping his salary.</p>
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